Notes / Commercial Description:
New Belgium Brewing and The Lost Abbey brewery from San Marcos, California have a shared passion for a variety of things, not the least of which is the wild Belgian yeast brettanomyces. So they decided to join forces and collaborate. Lost Abbey Collaboration is brewed simply with pale malts accompanied by Target, Centennial and Sorachi hops for a hint of citrus. Focusing on their mutual respect for the ingredient, the spotlight shines on the brettanomyces, where a full brett fermentation offers bold pineapple overtones and funky, sour edge. The beer is a shining, golden shade and is warming and dry.

Etched Lips of Faith bomber poured into a Lindemanns flute, mostly because I rarely get the chance to use it. Pale straw body, mostly clear but with fine pieces of sediment. Solid frothy white head; nearly two fingers with good retention, and intermittent strings of Belgian lacing working down the glass.

This is a very fruity beer. A whole myriad of yeasty tropical fruit esters and a healthy dose of lemon zest screaming "Sorachi Ace." Grassy/earthy with just a little bit of funky and spicy phenols. The yeast definitely takes over for this beer, but aside from a hoppy citrus, there's not much else in the nose. Then again, this is named "Brett Beer," so I suppose that's appropriate.

Very earthy flavor. A touch of yeasty funk, but no sour. The lemon zest adds a nice tang to balance out the drier yeast flavors, but not quite enough.

Low carbonation and a light-medium body. Mouthfeel is a bit dry, but not in an enjoyable crisp or tart way I expect in the style. Actually, the aftertaste is almost chalky.

Overall this was a little disappointing. I like wilds, I'm a huge fan of the Lips of Faith series, and I love Lost Abbey, but this didn't quite measure up. It's drinkable, but hardly impressive.

O - Considering I was in the market specifically for a "wild" ale, and this was all that was available, can't ultimately say much. Delivers an 'unconventional' beer experience that one has be anticipating/wanting/expecting; as sneaking a brew like this on someone unfamiliar with what to expect, they would almost certainly disagree with it.

This American "WILD" Ale isn't all that wild really. Maybe it's not a brettanomyces beer. Maybe it's named after Brett Michaels? Or Brett Favre?

Smells like some kind of Belgian ale. Looks like it too. Flavor is kind of sweet. One dimensional. Reminds me of something like Palm or Leffe. Belgian and decent, but not really too exciting at all. I would have expected a whole lot more out of this beer with a collaborative effort from two powerhouse breweries.

Poured into Duvel tulip.
Initial aroma is bready and malt related then the tart and sour effects kick in. It's an interesting mix and not expected
Quite gold and clear. Big full white head and attractive bubbles rise from the nucleation.
Taste is similar with the lager like pils malt base and a mild soft tartness. A little sweetness up front and then the doughy flavors before the yeasts kick in. The alcohol does not show in the taste, in fact it is quite well hidden, except the warmth in the gut. Some light funkiness and noticeable dryness on the finish.
A little lighter on the feels makes it a little too easy to drink down. Soft and enjoyable feel.
I may add some things as I work through this.

Updates - the wild ale flavors show forth as it sits for awhile. They are nice and tasty, just not prominent.